Over a dozen fire trucks responded to Grand Street in Jersey City for smoke.

The owner of Legal Grounds Coffee said firefighters went inside the building to find the fire source.

"I turned out the circuit breaker this morning, 10 minutes after I saw smoke, said Chris Escudero, owner of Legal Grounds Coffee.

Escudero then went to the firehouse next door.

"They evaluated, they found," said Escudero. "They knocked it out. There is no fire now, but there’s a lot of damage."

On this hot day, one firefighter was taken away on a stretcher and into an ambulance.

Nearby residents were forced out of their homes.

"Started smelling some smoke, the fire alarms went off," said Annie Chen.

"Saw all the smoke, same outside and here we are out on the streets," said Amy Dougherty.

"Sweat, very hot. I've got some groceries that I'm hoping to get inside," said Sam Bebout.

The residents in the building next door were able to go back inside, but not Legal Grounds Coffee and the people that live above.

"We’re a community shop, we’ve been here 22 years. So I’m assuming that everything will be fine," said Escudero. "We just have to get past this point."